Judy Schachner

"I was the last child and only daughter born to Edward and Mary Francis Byron on August 20th, 1951 in the city of Waltham, Massachusetts. My oldest brother Ted was very good at art and my middle brother Kevin kept me laughing with his funny stories.

Growing up we didn't have much money. My mother was very ill, and to make matters worse, I was extremely shy. All my teachers complained that "Judith needs to speak up in class, Judith needs to improve in arithmetic, and Judith needs to finish her work on time." But no one complained about my artwork. On paper I drew myself a world where mothers were healthy and teachers were kind. My life was perfection in pencil.

In 1969, Massachusetts College of Art accepted me as a student despite my poor SAT scores. I graduated in 1973 with a BFA in illustration and went straight into the greeting card factories which included a stint at Hallmark. For five years I designed cute cards, sad cards, funny cards, and wedding cards. I was not having fun; in fact I never wanted to pick up a paintbrush again.

Then I met my husband, Bob, and for the first time in many years I could step off the 9 to 5 treadmill and devote all my energy to creating a portfolio of children's book art. That was until two little baby girls were born. Then motherhood became my favorite new job

Over the years I read hundreds of books to my daughters. Inspired by the art and words, I was moved once again to finish my portfolio and take it on the road to New York. That's when I met Lucia Monfried.

The most important relationship in publishing is that of the author/illustrator and her editor. I am most lucky to have Lucia. With her gentle encouragement and wisdom she took me by the hand and helped me accomplish the impossible. In 1995 I not only illustrated my first picture book but I wrote it too. Willy and May was published to wonderful reviews and no one ever suspected my fear of semi-colons.

The great thing about my job is that one day I can be writing about history, as I did in Mr. Emerson's Cook. The next day I'm drawing a wacky old woman for I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie. Or I can bring to life a beloved pet cat in my book The Grannyman. I live in a constant state of 3rd grade bliss - making up stories and drawing pictures. Isn't that what we all did as children?

Several years ago the great author Lloyd Alexander stood in my back yard admiring my daughters' Viking ship(that's another story.) Never in my wildest fantasies did I ever think that my art would inhabit his world of words. How the Cat Swallowed Thunder proves that dreams really do come true."
(from http://www.judithbyronschachner.com/bio....)

for another loco adventure. In his room for a time-out, Skippyjon Jones lets his imagination take him to a shack where his Chihuahua friends are yipping and yapping and hiding out from the bad Bobble-ito, who has taken over their doghouse. How El Skippito chills the Chihuahuas and banishes the Bobble-ito will make more amigos for this endearing and irresistible rascal, who made his first appearance in the favorite Skippyjon Jones.

Holy guacamole! Skippyjon Jones is crazy-loco for dinosaurs! The kitty boy enters (via his closet) the land of dinosaurs in search of the fabled Skipposaurus. Instead he runs into his old amigos, the Chimichango gang. When a T-Mex threatens the pack, it?s El Skippito, the great sword fighter, to the rescue. With yips and yowls, he drives the big baddie away, so all the dino-dudes can rattle their bones another day. This fourth entry in a series that Kirkus Reviews called ?ay caramba, mucho fun,? will win even more fans for the Siamese cat with oversize ears and an imagination to match.

The New York Times bestselling kitty boy blasts off into another hilarious adventure. Buckle up, amigos - everyone's favorite kitty boy is about to lift off. You'll want to be there when the brave Skippito gets lost in spice! That's right, spice. Skippy knows - from his big ears to his toes - that the planet Mars is red because it's covered in spicy red pepper. To prove it, he's off on a space jaunt replete with craters, crazies, and creatures from Mars. His new adventure is packed with witty wordplay, Spanish phrases, and Judy Schachner's trademark hilarity. This rollicking romp is simply o

As always, Skippyjon invites readers to join in the magic that comes of a playful imagination. Little ones will learn all the ins and outs with Skippyjon Jones. He goes up and down, back and forth, and over and under. At the end of the day, he?s ready to begin again. Opposites have never been so loco!

Everyone's favorite kitty boy is ready to colorSkippy style! Skippy's sky will be pink. His sun will be blue. As Skippyjon learns his colors and plays with crayons, he invites the very youngest fans to join in the fun. Who knows what color our mischievous Mr. Fuzzypants will be!

School is for dogs; or at least that's what Skippyjon Jones's mother tell her Siamese cat son. Not to be deterred, however, Skippyjon enrolls in his own imaginary canine school, where he intermingles with pooches of all shapes and sizes. Even a class bully cannot ruin the day of our furry little dog for a day. A delightful school-related addition to an award-winning picture book series.

Skippyjon has an overactive imagination. And he is pretty active himself. Here he shapes up with shapes: he runs in a circle, tap-dances on a square, orbits an oval. And then the great sword fighter shows his muscles.

Skippyjon Jones, the Siamese kitty boy who thinks he is a Chihuahua, can count! He is one naughty kitty, with two big ears, and three little sisters. Little ones will love to count along with him as he bounces his way from one to ten.